The state agency has federal permission, or "primacy," to oversee and regulate the construction
and operation of disposal wells that inject fracking wastes and brine, ancient salt water
frequently contaminated with toxic metals and radium, thousands of feet underground. State
officials and oil and gas industry leaders say the disposal wells are safe and the best option to
dispose of the wastes.

Environmental groups fear the wells and the wastes pose pollution threats to drinking water and
streams.

Among the complaints: the groups claim state officials routinely ignore citizen requests for
public records and public hearings regarding the disposal wells and state oversight.

It' s not clear when the U.S. EPA will conclude its audit. A press release from the groups said
similar audits were conducted in 2005 and in 2009.

Agency officials offered this response in an emailed statement:

"The U.S. EPA has informed ODNR that they are planning to conduct their regularly scheduled
audit of Ohio’s underground injection control program in the spring of 2014. Ohio has some of the
toughest environmental regulations in the country that we've historically enforced professionally
and fairly. As a result Ohio has earned the right from the USEPA to enforce federal laws here,
something it doesn't let other states do. U.S. EPA regularly inspects state's work and we welcome
that review."